Spanish Super Cup | Wanted Super Champion

Andalusia hosts a new edition of the Spanish Super Cup: Córdoba, Malaga and Seville will be the venues that host the matches where Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Athletic and Real Sociedad will fight to win this tournament …

The Super Cup returns to Spain. After two years in which has visited nearby countries such as Morocco (the edition was held there in August 2018) and has lived the exoticism of Saudi Arabia (The 2019 edition was held, played in January 2020), it will be Andalusia who will host this new edition. The Coronavirus pandemic has caused this edition to be contested again in national territory, opening a parenthesis in the Saudi experience (the RFEF formed a three-year agreement). AND There will be three Andalusian cities that host this final to four: Córdoba, Malaga and Seville.

In this way, four teams will fight to gain a place in the final to be held at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville on the 17th: are the real Madrid, winner of the last League and current champion of the trophy; the Barcelona, current League runner-up, and the two finalists of a Cup that has not yet been held: Athletic Club and Real Sociedad.

As it is, Zidane's men will defend the title first against Athletic Club. Madridistas and rojiblancos will face each other at the La Rosaleda stadium, the scene in which the whites conquered the league in 2017 Thursday 14 from 9:00 p.m. (#Let's go). Curiously, it happens that it will be their first historic match in this competition.

Precisely, Barcelona and Real Sociedad will seek their place in the Sevillian final one day before, on Wednesday 13, at the Nuevo Arcángel stadium in Córdoba (Also at 9:00 p.m. and broadcast on the same television channel #Vamos). There is a curiosity that the San Sebastian team was the first Super Cup champion in 1982… and the Barça team is the team with the most titles in this competition, with 13 trophies.

One more year, the Super Cup is here. Four teams, three venues and three games to decide the champion.

Real Madrid owns 11 Super Cup titles in their showcases. It is the second team with the most trophies, behind Barcelona, ​​which has 13. Curiously, Madrid did not play the 1986 and 1987 editions as they did not reach an agreement to play them against Zaragoza (1986) and Real Sociedad (one year later) …

However, the first victory in the history of the Super Cup belongs to the whites. It was a Dutchman, Johnny Metgod, who decided the first match in the history of the Super Cup against Real Sociedad. A match that was anything but one match: even Alfredo Di Stéfano described the referee Enríquez Negreira as “Billy el Niño”: the referee took 12 yellow cards (one red to Juanito for double warning) and took a penalty from Bonet outside the area. In the return, the San Sebastian turned it around with a formidable 4-0.

It would not be until 1988 when the whites won their first Super Cup. It was against Barcelona (precisely against the Catalans they have won more than half of the Super Cups they own: six). The Whites prevailed in both games, opening a streak of three consecutive titles. In 1989 he was awarded for having won the League and the Cup, while a year later, in 1990, the Madridistas, far from the top of the table and with Toshack replaced by Di Stéfano, gave the bell by winning at the Camp Nou (with a goal from Míchel, a stomp from Stoitchkov to Urízar and some curious touches from Hugo Sánchez: years later he would say that he was “accommodating the super cups”) and a resounding thrashing against the Catalans (4-1 at the Bernabéu) with a splendid goal from Aragon from almost 45 meters to Zubizarreta. It was La Saeta's only title as a white coach …

Another great white joy was the 1993 Super Cup. In the midst of all the great days of the Dream Team, the whites beat the Blaugrana in the double game. Days after winning, Cruyff's men thrashed Benito Floro's with a sore hand. In 2017, the triumph of the whites at the Camp Nou left the title sentenced. The image of Cristiano pushing De Burgos Bengoetxea, for which he was sanctioned with five suspension games, left the Portuguese marked. Previously, for the memory is the Super Cup won in 2008 against Valencia, in which a Madrid with nine players (Van der Vaart and Van Nistelrooy were expelled with a tie on the scoreboard), was able to beat the Valencian players in 10 minutes (the match ended 4-2). Likewise, the image of Courtois stopping a penalty in the final shootout against Thomas in Jeddah, remains in the Madrid imaginary of titles won

SO IT COMES

Doubtfully. There is no other way to summarize the moment of Madrid. He went to the second round of the Champions League with more difficulties than ever and in the League he goes two steps forward and one backward. The recent punctures against Elche and Osasuna complicate the league title and Zidane's team has to improve a lot to sustain the continued effort to pursue Atlético, little by little, further and further. But that's another war. The Spanish Super Cup is two games and Madrid recently got rid of Valdebebas from Athletic (3-1), the whites were greatly helped by the absurd (unnecessary) red that Raúl García won. Madrid perform better when they smell the metal of the title, when they see the trophy a few games away. That is why it will become more dangerous in this Super Cup and more so with Zizou's monumental anger at the trip to Pamplona in the middle of the Filomena storm. The Marseillais does not usually get those anger in public and that fire in his veins is dangerous for his rivals. Madrid lacks a goal as an organized structure, but they have plenty of footballers (Ramos, Benzema, Asensio …) who mess it up individually halfway through you give them away. The team will have a very sensitive loss, that of the injured Carvajal, while Courtois, who finally took flight precisely with his great Super Cup in Jeddah (Arabia) last year, must also be essential.

THE STAR: MODRIC

He is the oldest Real Madrid footballer, above Sergio Ramos, but he runs at 35 as if he were a Youth who had to win a call. He could lie down hugging his Ballon d'Or of 2018 and let himself be carried away peacefully towards a golden retirement, but his competitive spirit does not wane and for many he is Madrid's MVP so far this season. Since his replacement at the Camp Nou there is no one who feels it while he finishes outlining the details of his renewal for one more year, because his contract ends in June. He is the finest of the already classic trident of midfielders together with Modric and Kroos and also He is putting the salt of the goals, such as that of Ipurua or that of Martínez Valero. The best of the Super Cup in Arabia was Fede Valverde. This time, the old guard has taken the reins …

Barça is the king of the Spanish Super Cup. With 13 titles, the first won in the 1983-84 season, no one has won more. The Catalans have cemented their leadership in the last decade thanks to their overwhelming dominance in LaLiga (they won eight out of twelve), which they expanded in a competition that has left some photos for history, for better and for worse. Because the first thing that comes to mind when talking about Barça and the Super Cup is Stoichkov's stomp on Urizar Azpitarte in the 1990-91 season. The Bulgarian, out of his mind, stepped on the Basque referee. He was expelled and served a long sanction that did not prevent Cruyff's men from winning LaLiga. Also in the Super Cup, Aragón scored a goal from the center of the field to Zubizarreta and even Barça appeared depressed after Neymar left the 2017 tournament. Madrid punished him.

But most of the images related to the Super Cup are happy at Barça. The spectacular comeback against Sevilla in 2010, the comfortable victories in 2006,2007, 2009, 2017, Neymar's first goal with the Barça shirt against Atlético de Madrid that gave him the title in 2013. And, above all, the euphoric image of the 2011 Super Cup, with a memorable 3-2 at the Camp Nou. With the photo of Cristiano on his knees after Messi's goal and the Argentine's final goal unleashing euphoria at the Camp Nou and the frustration in Madrid, with an out-of-tone kick from Marcelo and the lamentable finger from Mourinho on the finger of the remembered Tito Vilanova. A whole collage of photos that will continue this Wednesday in Córdoba.

SO IT COMES

Barça appears in the Spanish Super Cup at the best moment of the season. He has won three games away from the Camp Nou in one week, each time more convincingly. And except for the defense, where the problems have multiplied (Lenglet's sanction, Araújo's injury …), he has found a reliable eleven with Dest and Alba on the wings, Busquets, De Jong and Pedri in the center of the field; and a new trident (Messi, Griezmann and Dembélé). The latter has found some stability without injuries and Griezmann has found the goal. The midfielders have also improved their version. Busquets returns to give a feeling of stability, Pedri, the great sensation of the Barça season, pulls the strings and De Jong steps into the rival area with danger. It is a more credible Barça, although nobody wants to throw the bells to the flight because it still has weaknesses. Lacks of concentration and, above all, of defensive quality. Pero has recovered the effectiveness that Koeman demanded in the face of the rival goal.

A not insignificant detail. Barça will arrive at the Super Cup in the middle of the electoral process in the institution. The campaign begins practically coinciding with the match against Real Sociedad and the attention will be distributed in the city. However, these days the eyes look again at the team, which emits certain exciting signals that a fans needed to be touched.

THE STAR: MESSI

With four goals in the last two games and the best feelings in more than a year. He looks comfortable on the field, physically fine and involved as from the beginning of the season. And also with aim. With 34 titles behind him (the player who has the most in the history of the club), he has shown that he is still hungry and that he likes nothing than to be in good company to win. He is finding himself again well surrounded by Busquets, Pedri, Alba, De Jong, Griezmann or Dembélé, and that is where the Argentine usually appears to put the quality touch. For the first time many years later, Messi was left without lifting any title in 2020. At this point, any cup seems beautiful and desired by Barça. And the Argentine. Watch out for their historical records in the Spanish Super Cup. In 10 games, he has scored 14 goals: six against Madrid, four against Sevilla, three against Athletic and one against Atlético. La Real, your next target.

Athletic were proclaimed league champions in 1983 and ended a drought that had lasted since 1956. This allowed them to face their first Super Cup. They fell to Barcelona, ​​after an almost definitive defeat in San Mamés, 1-3, although in the return in Barcelona the lions brushed the comeback: 0-1, after scoring Endika in minute 3. The following season the Clemente's team achieved the double and took the Super Cup for that circumstance, something that does not happen today. Only Madrid in 1989 achieved that same honor. Things did not go very well for him in 2010, in a final to which he agreed after falling in the Cup decisively against Barcelona, ​​at the Mestalla: 4-1. The culé team achieved the double and that gave the ticket to Bilbao, who lost in the first leg by 1-2 and at the Camp Nou they were soon without options: 3-0. The balance in the Super Cup is 2-2, since in 2015, again for the culé double and the cup runner-up in terms of rojiblancos, the last title that has been savored in Bilbao arrived: a memorable 4-0, with 'hat -trick 'by Aduriz, which will never be forgotten in San Mamés, set the prow for success. The historic night opened with a goal from midfield from San José. In the return he was not lost either: tied at a goal. In this journey through the Super Cup, Aduriz has achieved four goals, precisely in that last appointment of 2015. He has the same goals as Cristiano, who participated in 7 games, and only Messi, Raúl, Stoichkov, Txiki and Kanouté surpass him.

SO IT COMES

If anything defines Athletic's current season, it is impotence. Or frustration. It had been dragging since last season, with a loss at home against Leganés that ruined the European options, and an embarrassing climax in Granada, with nothing at stake. San Mamés had not quite swallowed Garitano, and that led Athletic to the Cup final, postponed to try to have an audience. Since this season began, he has gone from ultimatum to ultimatum, until the pitcher was broken. The board decided to dismiss him after the umpteenth hit, this time against Real, on New Year's Eve, but since he could not close the paperwork with his substitute, he kept it against Elche, when it turns out that the team played one of the best games of the year and won. Marcelino has arrived. He has barely had time to put his stamp on but the postponement of the match against Atlético due to the storm has given him a couple of extra days to work with the group. The 4-4-2 has been brought, banishing the 4-2-3-1 that has been in force in Bilbao for a decade with Valverde, Ziganda and Garitano. His first goal against Barça had two faces: a frantic start with a goal from Williams and too much defensive weakness later, precisely the strongest facet with Garitano. It promises to amuse with its classic vertical steal and counter game.

THE STAR: IÑAKI WILLIAMS

Ever have to exploit the highest paid player on the roster. The new system favors him, because he will have a lot of room to display his speed. Against Barça he scored a great goal in a counter, with a cut and great definition. The question is who will be your partner at the forefront. Raúl García accompanied him before the Catalans on Three Kings Day. He has played 175 consecutive league games, without missing a single appointment. He has played all of them in 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. The previous player who added four years was Larrañaga with Real (1988, 1989, 1990 and 1991). He goes after his record (202). Nico, Iñaki's brother, has been summoned a couple of times to train with the first team and the coincidence of both in the elite is getting closer and closer. This year he is Athletic's top scorer along with Muniain, both with four goals. He is the fourth most employed outfield player after Íñigo Martínez, Capa and Muniain. He was infected with COVID in the preseason and has only been left out of the eleven one game, in the premiere against Granada. He wants to lift another Super Cup in Bilbao. He has a contract until 2028 and signed a record clause in Bilbao of 135 million euros.

Real Sociedad has the honor of being the first champion in the history of the Spanish Super Cup. It was in the 1982-83 season. The txuri-urdin team appeared in the tournament as champions of their second league title and faced Real Madrid, who had won the Copa del Rey the previous season. The Super Cup was resumed with the format of the Eva Duarte Cup of the 1950s, with round-trip matches, and was played between October and December. The first leg was played in Madrid on October 13, with the victory of Real Madrid by the minimum (1-0). And the return was played on December 28, 1982 in the late Atotxa, full for the occasion. It was not until the break that it was 1-0 to tie the final, and in the second half madness arrived, with another three goals and a penalty saved by the legendary Arconada. In this way, La Real became the first club to register its name in the tournament's record. That 1982-83 Super Cup is the only time that Real has participated in the tournament, despite the fact that it could have done it a second time. The realistic club won the Copa del Rey in 1987, and that gave it the right the following season, 87-88, to play the Super Cup against the League Champion, Real Madrid. But, as happened in the previous season, the Super Cup was not played because the entity txuri-urdin and the white club did not reach an agreement on the dates for the dispute of the two matches of the tournament.

SO IT COMES

After a simply spectacular start to the season, reaching the top of the Primera classification for seven days, with a game that was the envy of everyone and qualifying brilliantly in their Europa League group, It seems that Real Sociedad reaches its Super Cup semi-final at its lowest point in form. Those coached by Imanol have only won two games since the league break in November, and will land in Córdoba with the first doubts in their game, the result of defensive gifts from their last games against Osasuna and Sevilla. Although he has deserved better luck in many of his matches in his losing streak, now they seem to be stuck in their playstyle, also caused by the losses of very important players, such as Elustondo and David Silva. It has lost its defensive solidity from the league start, but it still has a lot of offensive gunpowder, with players that little by little are re-plugging, as Alexander Isak, Portu and Oyarzabal, which is picking up pace after his injury.

THE STAR: OYARZABAL

He is not like at the beginning of the League, because the injury nipped at the root his spectacular state of form, becoming even the best LaLiga player in October, and being the league's top scorer for many days with 7 goals. But little by little he is coming back under his jurisdiction. In the Basque derby he gave the goal assist to Portu and against Osasuna he directed the counterattack of the great play of the Barrenetxea draw. It is true that he appears in the Super Cup after a poor match in Seville, but the captain of the Real never disappoints on big occasions. He is undoubtedly the franchise footballer of the Donostiarras, he has to do it on the wing or inside, he always competes, reaches goal positions and contributes in defensive tasks. He is a fundamental player for Imanol, infallible from eleven meters, a luck that can be decisive in a tournament like the Super Cup. Given the almost certain absence of David Silva, the Eibar must lead the attack of Real Sociedad. His participation seems crucial, in the elaboration in the final meters as in finishing positions. Oyarzabal is the soul of La Real, and he is increasingly plugged in.

The Spanish Super Cup is a 'young' trophy. Born in 1982, days after the final of the World Cup in Spain was held, its great promoter was Josep Lluis Núñez, the then president of Barcelona. The main reason was economic: a new competition, facing the League champion and the Cup champion (then it had great prestige and recognition: the winning team participated in the Recopa de Europa), more attending public, more income … The idea It arose just at a time when Real Madrid (led by Luis de Carlos) was trying to overcome the lack of titles (the Leagues were going north, to San Sebastián and Bilbao), while the Catalans had players in their squad like Maradona and Schuster, the crème de la crème back then. The Federation gave the go-ahead to the new tournament (it took a good economic pinch) and the competition got underway: it was a two-legged final, first it was played in the field of the Cup champion, so that later, the champion of League host the final match. Real Sociedad, as League champion, and Real Madrid, as Cup champion, were the first teams to compete in the first edition of the Spanish Super Cup, with the Donostiarras being the first winners.

However, what seemed like a new competition had already had its precedents. Without going further, In 1936 a confrontation between the League champion and the Cup champion was approved by the FEF, but the outbreak of the Civil War prevented it. At the end of it, the Champions Cup was played: it was the same tournament, of a friendly nature, and that in the only edition that was held had Atlético Aviación as the winner. Years later, in 1946, and due to a management by the Argentine Consul in Barcelona, ​​the “Argentina” Gold Cup was played. Organized by the Catalan Federation with the help of the Argentine colony in Barcelona, ​​it faced Barcelona and Athletic Club. The income generated was distributed between the Barcelona and Bilbao hospitals. The following year, 1947, already with the name of Eva Duarte Cup, and under the auspices of the Spanish Federation, the League champion and the Cup champion faced each other. That competition would last until 1953 … until Núñez recovered it for national competitions.